AMERICAN RED CROSS HURRICANE IAN RELIEF

HURRICAN IAN RELIEF FUND

JOIN Q100, UP NORTH SPORTS RADIO & THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IN HELPING OUR FRIENDS IN FLORIDA RECOVER AFTER THE DEVASTATION FROM HURRICANE IAN ON SEPTEMBER 28TH, 2022.

Hundreds of American Red Cross volunteers and employees continue to work tirelessly to deliver critical aid to the thousands of Florida residents, as the entire state is reeling from the devastating effects of Hurricane Ian. Together with our partners, the American Red Cross has opened hundreds of evacuation shelters, where more than 33,000 people spent Wednesday night. Our top priority is providing comfort and support to Floridians as they face this historic storm and the challenges and uncertainties it brings with it.

“We have been preparing for a disaster of this magnitude, and thanks to the efforts of thousands of staff and volunteers and the support of our committed donors, we were resourced and well-positioned ahead of this very dangerous storm,” said Trevor Riggen, Red Cross President of Humanitarian Services. We are also prepared to assist communities along the east coast, as Hurricane Ian regains strength and heads back to land in South Carolina, bringing life-threatening winds and rain with impacts as far north as Virginia.

It is still too early to know the full impact of Hurricane Ian and all that will be required for immediate relief and long-term recovery. For that reason, I’d like to give you an update on another disaster: Hurricane Harvey. This story was first told by Trevor Riggen in 2020, when the distance of three years allowed for a better understanding of all that had happened.

In 2017, Hurricane Harvey deluged Houston and many other communities in Texas and southwest Louisiana with trillions of gallons of water. The historic floods that resulted caused staggering damage and impacted countless lives. Powered by our compassionate donors and dedicated volunteers, the American Red Cross launched a massive response and recovery effort, supporting hundreds of thousands of affected residents through the days, weeks, and years that followed Harvey’s catastrophic impact.

Just as we have done in advance of Hurricane Ian, we had mobilized thousands of trained disaster workers and pre-positioned critical supplies and life-sustaining equipment in advance of Harvey. Even after the storm came ashore, volunteers and employees from around the country arrived to provide shelter and comfort for thousands of displaced families. They also delivered warm meals, essential relief items, cleanup supplies, basic health services, and emotional support in hard-hit communities.

To help survivors put their lives back together, the Red Cross provided more than $347 million in financial assistance to hundreds of thousands of severely impacted households, getting more than two-thirds of that assistance to 575,000 households within the first five months. For people in some of the hardest hit communities, their journey toward recovery was still in progress three years later. To fund critical efforts to help meet the ongoing needs of survivors, the Red Cross awarded grants totaling more than $60 million to nonprofits doing vital work in communities still recovering from the storm, including funding to community partners with specialized expertise and services, from home repair and rebuilding to mental health and counseling services.

Hurricane Harvey is a story of devastation, but more importantly, it is a story of the hope found in the compassion and generosity that surrounded those communities when they were hit so hard six years ago. We remain grateful to our donors and volunteers who stood with us in bringing hope to those who experienced a catastrophe distressingly similar to what we are seeing today.

Knowing what we can do together, I invite you to stand with the Red Cross today. Your contribution will help offer hope and help those who are facing such deep loss and steep challenges in the wake of Hurricane Ian.